BW - EP155—008: New York And The 1944 Radio World—The Eternal Light & The Founding Of Temple Emanuel

Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting

Support Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers In October 1944, in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary, NBC began one of the longest-running religious programs in radio history. It was called The Eternal Light. The dramatized stories from ancient Judaea, along with contemporary works like The Diary of Anne Frank. It was produced by Milton Krents. Many top New York radio actors appeared. NBC donated the air time and the Seminary paid for the show's production. As part of this second episode, which aired on Sunday, October 15th, 1944, listeners heard about the founding of Temple Emanuel, the first reform Jewish synagogue in New York. It was formed in 1845 in a rented hall near Grand and Clinton Streets in Manhattan's Lower East Side. By 1944 the congregation had moved to its current location, at 1 East 65th Street, just off Fifth Avenue, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.